Vivarium
by Lorcan Finnegan

Since the ‘50s, most horror and science fiction films are molded by the social commentary of their respective eras or stand as allegory for something deeper or relevant. In the case of Vivarium, it shouldn’t take one long to figure out what the deeper meaning is and soon you find yourself strapping in for a bizarre ride through a fabricated suburban nightmare.

Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg star as Gemma and Tom, a young couple looking to purchase their first home together. Right off the bat, the real estate agent is an unnerving gentleman whom I personally would never purchase anything from and the neighborhood Gemma and Tom find themselves in is as creepy as it is unusual. It seems as though the pair have already made their minds up, they’re not interested in the home in the slightest, but for the sake of being polite, continue viewing the home only to be abandoned shortly later by the agent. Gemma and Tom find themselves trapped in an endless labyrinth of identical houses with only one clue on how to escape this waking nightmare: a baby in a box with a note that reads raise the child and be released.

So, to start off, I have to say that Senan Jennings is one of the creepiest child actors I have ever seen. I’m not entirely sure what effects they used on this child’s voice, but it worked and the terror he was meant to convey as he wreaked havoc on Gemma and Tom’s lives was evident, one hundred percent. Not only was his incessant parroting of his “parents” nerve wracking and disturbing, but his high-pitched scream whenever he didn’t get his way was absolutely unsettling. Even when the child was meant to be happy or playful, Jennings did so in a way that reminded the viewer this was not a normal boy. For the sake of not spoiling anything, I’ll leave any more about him out of this review, all I’ll say further is that for this character alone, the film is worth the watch.

If you don’t know, the definition of the word vivarium is as follows: a place, such as a laboratory, where live animals or plants are kept under conditions simulating their natural environment, as for research. That right there should clue you in at least enough to know what to expect from this movie. I’ve seen a lot of negative thoughts on this film and it’s easy to understand why. At times it can be confusing, but I enjoyed it immensely for what it was: a claustrophobic, thought provoking sci-fi/horror piece representative of our fears of commitment, monotony, and seeing the worst parts of ourselves in others, particularly our children. At least that’s what I got out of it when the 97 minutes were up.

The film doesn’t end without its mysteries and leaves a lot open to interpretation. As I previously stated, Vivarium is not without its flaws and for a film that has so much to offer, many scenes were repetitive and monotonous, but maybe that was the point. A fun bit of trivia from imdb explains that the opening sequence displays the activities of an avian brood parasite, organisms that rely on others to raise their young. The brood parasite manipulates a host to raise its young as if it were its own, using brood mimicry that resemble the host’s. I won’t elaborate on how that relates to elements of the characters or plot because I encourage you to watch and find out for yourself.

Evidently, this is a remake of a 2012 short film entitled Foxes that I’ve neither seen nor heard of until now, but I will definitely be checking it out soon. Vivarium is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.

(This review originally appeared on Horror Metal Sounds.)